Several influential militias in Iraq, backed by Iran, have expressed their readiness to disarm for the first time to avoid escalating tensions with the Donald Trump administration. This was revealed by ten high-ranking commanders and Iraqi officials to “Reuters“, reports News.bg.
According to the sources, the decision comes in response to repeated warnings from US representatives to the Iraqi government that if action is not taken to limit the activities of the armed groups, the US may carry out air strikes against them.
Izzat al-Shahbandar – A Shiite politician close to Iraq's ruling coalition said talks between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and militia leaders were at an advanced stage and the armed factions were willing to comply with US demands for disarmament.
“The factions are not acting stubbornly and are not insisting on maintaining their current form. They are fully aware that they could become a target for the US,“ he stressed.
A commander from "Kataib Hezbollah" – the country's most powerful Shiite militia – said "Trump is ready to escalate the conflict to more dangerous levels" and stressed that the groups want to avoid such a scenario.
According to the commanders, Iran's Revolutionary Guards – the militias' main ally and patron – has given its blessing to the factions to make their own decisions in order to avoid a potentially destructive conflict with the US and Israel.
The militias, united under the name “Islamic Resistance in Iraq“, include about ten hardline Shiite armed groups with a total of about 50,000 fighters. They have arsenals of long-range missiles and air defense systems.
The group is a key component of Iran's network of proxy forces in the region and has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on US and Israeli targets in Iraq and Syria since the Gaza conflict began about 18 months ago.
Farhad Aleldin, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Sudani, said the prime minister was committed to ensuring that all weapons in Iraq would be under state control through "constructive dialogue with various national actors."
Two Iraqi security officials said Sudani was demanding the disarmament of all "Islamic Resistance" militias that declare allegiance to Iran's Revolutionary Guards or the Quds Force, rather than Baghdad.
Some groups have already evacuated headquarters and have limited their presence in major cities such as Mosul and Anbar since mid-January due to fears of airstrikes. Commanders have stepped up their security measures, regularly changing cell phones, cars and homes.
The US State Department confirmed that it continues to urge Iraqi authorities to curb the militias' activities. “These forces must report to the Iraqi commander-in-chief, not to Iran”, an official statement said.
A US official noted that similar disarmament pledges have been made in the past under US pressure, and expressed skepticism about their long-term effectiveness.